


They're Definitely Hopeless [Hiatus.]

by NauticalSpaceship



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Comedy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hakuouki - Freeform, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 21:03:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2706680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NauticalSpaceship/pseuds/NauticalSpaceship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the world wasn't as black and white as the samurai would have you believe. For the less privileged, the road to Hell is paved in good intentions and Nao intended to crawl her way into the belly of the underworld if that meant keeping her family safe. </p><p>Is it possible for one lone woman to change the views of a certain group to recognize the woes of the underdogs, or will all of her efforts have been for nothing?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family First

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a beginning writer who's incredibly self conscious about her writing, so, I've decided to face my fears and run full force into this mess of a story and I hope you can appreciate my hard work! It would mean a lot to me if you could leave comments about any critiques or suggestions you have to offer to me so I can improve. Thank you so much!

It wasn't that she thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world, but she knew she could turn heads if she tried. In Nao's field of work, appearance was a vital part of the job and she cared for her appearance out of necessity. Although, she would be lying if she said part of her didn't enjoy looking good. 

She brushed her hair and opened her ornamental makeup box, contemplating how extravagant she wanted to look today. The rice flour used to whiten her complexion seemed to irritate her skin and she used it sparingly on formal affairs. However, she always applied black liner above her eyes to create a seductive, cat like appearance. She squeezed her lips gently between her teeth to pinken them and decided this simple regimen was enough for a trip to the bar.

“Auntie?” A small voice called through the fusuma.

“Come in, Hikaru!” Nao sang, tying her hair up in an undemanding but elegant hairstyle.

A small girl with short ruffled hair peeked through the crack of the door before running full force into Nao's arms. Nao playfully pinched at her niece's sides, nibbled her cheeks, and received hysterical giggles in response.

“Can you please put me to bed?” The breathless girl begged.

Nao's heart thumped as it always did when she was wanted. “What about your dad?”

“Pleeeasse?” She begged again.

Nao sighed.

“I'll put you to bed, but you better stay up to say goodnight to your dad.” She warned.

Hikaru hummed with content and ran back to her room, waiting for her aunt to lovingly tuck her in.

Nao finished packing and reorganizing the mess she made and observed herself one final time before neatly stacking her things back in their proper place. She strapped her small swords in the obi of her kimono and made her way to Hikaru's bedroom. The rambunctious girl had made a mess of her room and had thrown all of her dirty clothes all over the floor to Nao's dismay.

“Aah, Hika...” She scolded and gathered her clothes, instructing her niece to do so as well.

Hikaru pursed her lips with a scowl, but did as she was told.

The sliding of the bedroom door drew their attention to Nao's brother who came to wish his daughter sweet dreams. Hikaru bounced in place and dropped all of her clothes, running to her father and jumping into his open arms to be swung.

Nao wondered how much energy one small human could store.

“Why do you have _her_ putting you to sleep?”

Hikaru huffed and demanded to be put down. “You're going to leave me tonight.”

“But Nao is going to leave, too!” He accused.

“Hiro!” Nao growled, throwing Hikaru's clothes at her brother.

The young girl crossed her arms and laid in bed without another word. Hiro walked over to his daughter and sat cross legged beside her, petting her hair. Nao followed in suit and sat on the other side that Hikaru was facing.

“We have to go, Hika.” Nao stated firmly. “When I come back tomorrow, I'll bring you some kompeito. Okay?”

Hikaru's eyes lit up instantly and Hiro's darkened. He had been shown up by his own sister.

“Devil woman.” He mumbled.

“Noodle arms.” She retorted.

“Auntie is not a devil!” Hikaru cried, smacking at her fathers knees.

Nao and Hiro laughed as Hikaru alternated between huffs and puffs and excitement. They finished tucking the energetic girl in and gave her kisses and warm hugs before heading out the door.

“The babysitter will be here soon.” Hiro mentioned to both Nao and Hikaru. “Goodnight, Hikaru.”

Nao and Hiro walked out the front door and observed the other one's sword worn at their sides with solemn expressions. The world seemed too silent and they both knew it, but their work had to be done. Hiro handed Nao a small envelope and nodded.

As the pair headed down to the bar, Nao watched the freezing river nearby to calm her nerves and prayed to a deity she didn't believe in that they'd make it out okay. They were drug runners; there was no two ways about it. Even if they never handled the drugs themselves, they still gave instructions to where to find it and that's enough to be punishable by death. The pay was too good to ever quit, but they hoped today was the last time for a long while that they'd have to risk ruining both their own lives and Hikaru's.

A block away from the bar, Hiro and Nao got into character and shook off any bad vibes. They played as a loving couple to avoid suspicion, and while they both cringed when their fingers intertwined, they knew that it was worth the money. 

“After you.” Hiro motioned as he lifted the cloth above the door.

Nao bowed slightly and ducked underneath with Hiro following close behind. He wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled as they both observed their surroundings, looking for a short haired blonde man which one would think was easy considering blonde was such a rarity.

“There he is.” Hiro mentioned, using learned hand signals at her waist to direct her to a man at the farthest corner. “It's all you. Be safe.”

“Thank you.” Nao swallowed. I love you, brother.” She added, saying goodbye just in case.

Hiro let her go and sat down at a full table, chatting up a few rowdy patrons. Nao, on the other hand, walked with shaky legs to the target. The beads of sweat down the back of her neck made her shiver, but she still managed to strut gracefully towards the man. A quiet gasp escaped her lips once she saw his piercing red eyes. "I've got a present for you." Nao hummed in a sultry tone. The man separated his hands and held one out to her. She traced a finger on the table, to his chest and then his lips, kissing his cheek and discreetly handing him the envelope that was held in her obi. Seduction paid well. He ripped open the envelope then and there and 'hmphed.'

"Is something wrong, sir?" She asked.

He looked up at her without a word and shook his head, shooing her with his other hand. She bowed and turned back around to find her brother. Nao knew that this man was the reason for her uneasiness and wanted to leave as soon as possible. She walked towards the table she had last seen Hiro and found the entire bar almost entirely empty. Her ears caught the chanting and shouting of patrons right outside the entrance and she ran outside only to find her brother being pushed and kicked to the ground by a thug and two of his henchmen.

A fire burned in Nao's belly that permeated to her arms and clenched fists. She was very protective of her kin and she would defend her family tooth and nail. Nao drug her brother from underneath the man and kicked him backwards.

Hiro struggled to get up, but managed.

“Get outta here, bitch.” The thug spat with venom.

“I have his money.” Hiro stated

“What?”

“We were gambling.” He explained with a stutter. “I won it fair and square.”

“Oi, bitch! I says get outta here.”

Nao narrowed her eyes with scrutiny and raised her arms – loosening and clenching her fists with nervousness, waiting for a sudden movement. Fights were easy when both parties knew what they were doing, but the man reeked of alcohol and she had no idea how far this was about to go. If her brother had stuck to the plan they wouldn't have been in the mess, but now they have two months of his money and an angry drunk attached to it. She supposed quick cash was good, too. Now, It was just her standing between her brother and this seething monster of a man who thinks the fairly won money was worth more than his dignity. Hiro stood behind Nao, pressing a hand to her back and coaxing her with soft words. 

“Couldya give him a break? The poor man can't even stand up straight.” Her brother rationalized.

The agitated woman rolled her shoulders and alternated her weight between her left and right feet. The chant of the patrons that surrounded them could be heard several houses away. Some for the woman and most against.

“Just let me rough 'em up a bit. He can lose twice in one hour.” Nao cracked her neck. 

“I don't want explain to Hikaru that 'Auntie got her black eye from a fist fight because Daddy gambles too much.'”

Nao snorted.

“This ya wife, boy?” The drunkard spat and drooled, “I'm honored that ya'd leave it ta me to teach 'er her place.”

Nao stopped bouncing and swallowed, digging her her nails into her palms in newly kindled anger. Her opponent took her stance to mean she was ready and matched her form, albeit haphazardly. The grin on his face never disappeared and Nao interpreted it to mean that he didn't take her seriously - great advantage. He was big, sloppy, and, slow, but obviously stronger than her. However, where she lacked power, she made up for with training. Nao stepped towards him first and he followed soon after. They sized each other up until they were within arms reach. Neither of them were scared.

The man threw the first punch. Nao ducked and struck upward with the bony part of her palm into his sternum. The crowd "Oo-ed" at the audible sound Nao's hand made when she made contact and she had to admit that her ego was feeling pretty satisfied. He heaved and staggered backward, regaining his composure easily - his smirk diminishing. She shook out the pain in her hand and got back into her stance, ready for another go. The boozer cracked his knuckles in frustration and set himself up. He kept still, waiting for Nao to make the first move. The cold dirt crunched beneath her feet with every stride and their breath vaporized in the cold winter air. Everyone was silent as they waited for someone to fall. Nao took a firm step and dodged his surprise swing again - using his momentum to swing him around her. He turned and threw two more punches. Nao dodged the first, but caught the second one with her jaw. She grabbed her chin with her right hand and swayed it left and right as if moving it would remove the pain.

“It'sa improvement.” the man muttered with a slur.

“Go to hell.” She retorted.

Nao readied her fists again and jabbed him the gut with carefully extended fingers. He grunted and bent his upper body to protect his stomach. With quick thought, the small framed girl secured the fight with a knee to the man's face that forced him to completely topple over on the ground in pain. 

“Now lay there.” Nao demanded, having lost all of her interest in going easy when he lost her respect.

She turned her back towards the wounded man and gently pulled on the crook of Hiro's elbow to pry his eyes away from the scene. The adrenaline that flowed through both their veins left them utterly wordless and oblivious to the world around them.

The siblings took less than five steps until Hiro froze and whimpered, staring at Nao with frightened, wide eyes before collapsing. Nao's heart sunk as she collapsed with him to gently guide him down to the dirt, turning her head to observe his face. He was in such shock that he couldn't focus. His eyes darted in random directions.

“If only he was as good as you 'n maybe he didn't have ta get hurt.”

Nao rotated her body back towards the sound of the voice and found her previously defeated opponent with blood dripping from both his nose and his sword. The commotion generated a low murmur from the crowd. They didn't realize that it would escalate as it did. Everything was so sudden and unexpected that Nao didn't know how what to feel. Instead, she let her actions speak for her and lunged towards the armed opponent with nothing but her fists. 

He slashed at her and grazed her stomach and then kicked her once she had gotten too close. She was thankful that he didn't know how to use his sword. The cut burned, but she refused to go down without a fight. She pushed herself back up quickly and went in for another jab, effectively dodging his second swipe and pushing him to the ground. Nao kicked the sword from his hand and straddled him, pummeling him over and over, turning his already broken nose into an unidentifiable red pulp. She wouldn't kill him, she didn't have it in her, but she would definitely make sure this disgusting excuse for a man would realize that he picked the wrong fight with the wrong woman.

The anger and fear that Nao felt that moment was indescribable. The cut to her stomach couldn't send enough nerves for her brain to take precedence over the racing thoughts that plagued her mind. The only thing that brought her to from her tunnel vision was the firm hand that pulled her from the pitiful man and pushed her face first against the wall of the building they'd all came out of.

“If you think about moving, I'll kill you.” The low voice explained with authority.

Nao tried to focus on the man that contained her and could only see the green of his eyes feline eyes that squinted in disapproval, 

“She's hurt.” A small voice sympathized.

“Souji, he's not breathing.” Another explained.

"Hiro..."

Nao faded into unconsciousness.


	2. Emptiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy the past few months and I feel I rushed the ending a bit. Excuse any typos or punctuation errors! Thanks again.

“Please, keep still.” A young woman cooed while stroking the injured woman's arm.

Nao heaved with short, shallow breaths and rolled her head left and right, looking for anything familiar to her. Her indiscernible mumbling of words dragged heavily with confusion. Sweat beaded down the entirety of her bare chest, mixing with the line of crimson that began at the bottom left of her rib cage and ended at her right hip. 

An unfamiliar female bored all her weight into Nao's shoulders to prevent her from ruining the careful work of the 'doctor.' She stared at Nao with beautiful, brown doe eyes in concern and gave an affirming smile that she hoped she could recognize. 

“We need you to trust us.” She spoke again. “We want to help you.”

Nao did her best to comply, but the pain and nausea she felt couldn't prevent the tensing. She used what energy she had left in her to meditate and calm her nerves with mild success. The ache she felt in the joint of her ankles also ceased when the burlier man holding down her legs loosened his grip. His brown hair was matted down into his green headband in nervous sweat and he stared with furrowed brows as the third man worked at her wound.

The younger, more stoic figure doing the operation was hunched over her stomach from her right side, narrowing his purple eyes with each new stitch he produced. He alternated between a reddened cloth to absorb pooling blood and the delicate needle used to penetrate her skin. Aside from calling for clean water to wring the towel out in, he remained mostly quiet and focused in comparison to his companions who attempted to coax Nao with unregistered words.

“I'm almost done.” He affirmed.

Nao nodded in recognition and exhaled a stressed breath, dropping her bent legs. The man that held her ankles moved his arms up to her shins just in case. His tensed shoulders dropped as well and his expression unfurled into a look of content.

“Thank you.” The girl who held her shoulders sat back into a sitting position with gentle, lingering hands.

The final sutures to Nao's thin skinned hip still made her cringe, but the relief of a finishing procedure lightened the jolting. The man threw the needle in a woven basket and straightened his back, placing his hands on his knees and admiring his work.

“You're all done.” He nodded, gathering his medical supplies. “Chizuru, please fetch me some hot soup and cold sake from the kitchen. Broth only.”

The woman sitting by Nao's head bowed and hurried out the door with a “Yes, sir!”

 

“Shinpachi, place her head in your lap, please.” He instructed the man, unraveling and preparing the makeshift gauze to wrap around her body.

Shinpachi pulled her into his lap and averted his eyes as the man loosened her obi and removed the upper half of her kimono. Chizuru came back with a steaming tray of food and alcohol and sat it down besides the operator. 

“This is going to hurt.” He prepared the sake in a small saucer and hovered it above the freshly stitched wound. “Nagakura, hold her tight.”

Shinpachi wrapped his forearms under her armpits and bent his head down into his own chest accidentally pressing his forehead against hers. The unnamed man counted to three and poured the warm sake down the entirety of the cut to clean out the bacteria and soaked up the rest of the liquid with a new, clean cloth. She gasped and yelped in pain, doing her best to remain still as he reached his gauze filled hand underneath Nao's back and held it against her side with his right hand, wrapping it around her breasts and continuing downward, ending at her bare hips. He folded the cloth into itself and double-wrapped the wounded area to prevent seepage.

“You may leave now.” 

Shinpachi uncurled his body and gently laid her head back down on the pillow. He dusted himself off, checking for blood, and bowed. “Good job, Yakazaki. Good luck...”

He sauntered to the door, quietly sliding it open and stepping out. Chizuru followed behind and turned around to bow before Shinpachi shut the shouji.

Yamazaki placed the tray of soup next to her and spoon fed her slowly. The warm broth soothed her aching, dry throat as it went down and she closed her eyes in comfort.

“Thank you.” Nao murmured weakly.

“What is your name?” He inquired, watching her struggle to tilt her head and sip at the broth.

“Nao.”

He gave a 'hm' of acknowledgment and proceeded to feed her until she crashed.

-

The slam of the sliding door roused Nao from her dreams and a familiar pair of green feline eyes glared at her with animosity. He was obviously too flustered to care about giving her decency before hand, or, he was the only man in the Shinsengumi who knew how a police force is supposed to operate. Either way, his presence could make any man's hair stand on end and Nao didn't need the discomfort at the moment.

 

The man carried with him a tray of steaming food and the aroma of boiled fish, steamed rice, and hot green tea churned her stomach and caused the acid to bubble in her throat. He placed the tray by her side with a snap against the tatami mat and sat down.

“Good morning.” She greeted with soft words.

He made an audible grunt and crossed his arms, looking for the right words to start with. Even through their first meeting and the constant penetrating stare, she could see the human in him. He pitied her, for reasons that would soon reveal themselves. 

“Thank you for the food.” Nao coaxed again.

He gritted his teeth as the muscles in his calves tensed. Yamazaki was a fool for sending him to bring the news.

“Nao, right?” He began, tugging at the sleeves of the orange fabric that draped loosely around his torso. “Okita Souji.

The injured woman turned her head to present him with a blank stare. The air was thick and suffocating with tension and neither of them were or would ever be prepared for these sorts of situations. 

Nao propped herself up on her right elbow, preventing herself from giving any indication that she was in agony – despite the difficulties with bending her stomach. “What's this about?”

“The man you were with.” He began. “He's-”

“Dead. Isn't he?” She interrupted.

He nodded and the world went dark.

At first, Nao couldn't think. Her faced contorted between disbelief and hurt before settling on emptiness as the reality set in. A lump formed in her throat that made it hard to swallow - all of the physical pain and hunger Nao felt faded away and was replaced by a void that could no longer be filled. She laid her head back on the pillow to ease the light-headedness and stared blankly at the ceiling; hoping that she might wake up from the terrible nightmare any second. 

He fumbled for words, conflicted between pressuring her for questions or respecting her grief. It was a loss, but she was a criminal first and he had his duties to fulfill.

“Who was he?” Souji inquired with a murmur.

“Was?” Nao's soul hurt at the word and caused hot tears to burn her paled cheeks – even as she remained inhumanly stoic. “My brother.”

“Sorry.”

“I need to go home.” Nao demanded with little strength after a long pause of contemplation.

“We can't do that.” He explained. “You're going to present yourself tomorrow and explain your situation.”

“I need to see my niece.” She begged.

“No.”

Okita waited for some time with patience, watching Nao attempt pick up the broken shards that didn't fit in her hand – spilling over only for her to pick up again. Through the empty stares and the periodic swallowing, Okita felt a familiarity within her. He has stayed up many nights alone, feeling what she felt. The raw bareness of her soul that reminded him of his own made him feel human, if a bit selfish to find comfort in someone else's sorrow.

The conversation they had with each other was exhausting and they both left the silence at peace, hoping the other wouldn't continue further. Nao curled into a pitiful ball on her mat and tensed her body with every thought of Hiro's being. Okita bit at the skin on his cheek, hating the long pauses. He has spent many years in the Shinsengumi; seen and caused heartbreak, but no amount of familiarity could numb his soul from frail mortality. Comfort was a luxury that not many soldiers could afford, or understand for that matter.

It wasn't long before the atmosphere became too much Okita. He stood with a grunt and stretched his legs, silently stepping over the mess of fabrics and personal belongings thrown about the room. Before stepping outside, he turned for one more question. “Where do you live?”

“A small village west of here. Just past the river.” She described.

He hummed. “Night.”

Nao made no noise, weeping silently without tears.

**Author's Note:**

> All of my writing is inspired by 60's soul and oldies. I've made a writing playlist[ here.](http://8tracks.com/nauticalspaceships/he-s-a-romantic)


End file.
